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It is assumed that before the most primitive currencies emerged, civilizations sustained themselves through subsistence and barter. This meant that most people either, produced all they needed by themselves, and later, exchanged basic goods like vegetables, livestock, tools, and weapons to meet needs. As civilizations grew, and more efficient systems were needed, gradual change began,Read more

Inflation is an intrinsic property of fiat currency. This vulnerability lays the foundation, for chaos in any poorly managed economies facing a recession. Commonly defined as a period of rapid and uncontrolled inflation, Hyperinflation is characterized by a rate of inflation that exceeds 50% per month. Hyperinflation not is some obscure and rare phenomenon thatRead more

The monetary history of the Swiss Federation is almost as eventful and momentous as the rest of its history between the 17th century and the present. Banking Secrecy The notorious culture of secrecy, Swiss banking traditions are known to predate the federation itself. As Financial News explains: The 1713 Great Council of Geneva formally adoptedRead more

Ever noticed your pizza getting just a bit smaller over time, while you are charged just the same. Sometimes your chocolate bar, uncannily seems to be missing a few squares. That subliminal feeling that you are getting less for your money, is actually your gut becoming aware, of ‘shrinkflation’! Just last year the internet wasRead more

Following frenzied speculation leading up to the big day, gold prices soared sky high, as investors rushed to safe havens. As the Wall Street Journal quotes: It was just pandemonium. It was absolutely insane,” said Peter Hug, global trading director at Kitco Metals. “It was unbelievable, almost to the point of being funny.  The onlyRead more

Despite, numerous enlightening contributions by the Austrian school of thought towards ‘mainstream economics,’ it is thought by many as a heterodox approach to economics (lying outside the mainstream). This is possibly due to its repudiation of popular concepts like aggregate macroeconomics, and econometrics. A School of ‘Thought’ in Every Sense Both of the above facts,Read more

Over millennia money has taken a plethora of forms, emerging from primitive exchanges of minerals, and culminating in the digital abstraction we use today. The evolution of currency can largely be divided into three phases. These phases may not have occurred in any particular chronological order, as some civilizations developed faster than others, allowing forRead more

Immediately following the referendum held in the United Kingdom, deciding its position in the EU, social media was resonating with similar secessionist enthusiasm from across the Atlantic. The Texas secede movement, with proponents like President of the Texas Nationalist Movement Danieal Miller took advantage of the post EU referendum hype, by popularizing the ‘Texit’ hashtag.Read more

What is a Zero Interest-Rate Policy? A zero interest-rate policy, ZIRP for short, is a very simple macroeconomic concept that has been used throughout the world for over two decades and in various countries including Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States with varying results. ZIRP was first used by Japan in the 1990sRead more

The Federal Reserve System, or the Fed, is the central banking system of the United States. After a series of financial panics the Federal Reserve System was created in 1913. Over time the roles and responsibilities of the Fed have expanded and evolved. During the early 2000’s the Fed launched quantitative easing programs named QERead more